Councillors in Denbighshire are set to reject plans that could see the county merge with Conwy.

Earlier this year the Welsh Government revived plans to slash the number of county councils in the country from 22 to 10. The government published a Green Paper setting out its plans that could see Conwy and Denbighshire joined together to form one authority.

But in responding to the plans councillors in Denbighshire look set to knock back the proposals.

A special meeting of the council will be held on Monday to reject the plans. In a letter that will be put before councillors at the meeting for approval the council will write to the Welsh Government setting out its objections to the merger.

It said: "Denbighshire county council does not believe that a credible case for change has been made in the Green Paper Consultation Document.

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"The transition process would inevitably become a central focus for all local authorities in the lead up to the mergers.

"This would undermine their ability to deliver services to their residents and other service users over a number of years even if the transition period and mergers were fully funded and allowed an appropriate timescale in which to take place.

"The Council disagrees with the Green Paper’s timescales relating to having new merged authorities from April 2022; the work involved over so short a timescale would be too disruptive to services and could not be adequately supported alongside a programme of managing budget reductions."

The report also noted that there has been no demand from residents for the counties to merge.

Cllr Arwel Roberts, the leader of the Plaid Cymru group on the council said: "These merger proposals are being forced upon us. Denbighshire has a very good reputation on the whole. An example being our latest Estyn report. We have to cut our cloth to meet the demands placed upon us by Welsh Government less finances and more services needed.

"Therefore we have to ask the Welsh Government cabinet member Alun Davies to cease this measure."